A growing number of public health groups are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to go well beyond the new rules the agency proposed last month to expand its authority over tobacco, including e-cigarettes. Late last week the Big Cities Health Coalition, made up of twenty of the largest cities in the United States—including Boston, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles—held a briefing in Washington, D.C. to address what they see as significant gaps in the recently released FDA tobacco regulations. The Coalition is a project of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). “What began as a sliver of the tobacco market is now predicted to eclipse traditional tobacco sales by mid-century,” said the Coalition in a letter to the agency last week.

The letter and Washington, D.C., briefing highlighted concerns about regulating e-cigarettes that the current FDA rules do not address:

E-cigarettes are being marketed in ways that appeal to youth and could undermine existing tobacco regulations

E-cigarette manufacturers are making unsubstantiated claims regarding health and safety

E-cigarettes do not carry health warning labels

Marketing to children was a key concern during the Coalition’s briefing. “The FDA should aggressively limit access to minors and not allow marketing to them or flavorings,” said Barbara Ferrer, MPH, PhD, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. All of the commissioners at the briefing voiced a need to regulate flavorings, which can include flavors such as—bubble gum and watermelon—and which the commissioners say are a direct enticement for young people.

Many of the Coalition member cities have already proposed or enacted laws regarding e-cigarettes that are stricter than the ones proposed by last month by the FDA. A sampling of city regulations regarding e-cigarettes includes:

Boston — E-cigarettes are not permitted in the workplace; sales are not permitted to anyone under 18; and neither cigarette smoking nor e-cigarette “vaping” are permitted in the city’s public parks.

New York City — Bans the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under 21, and as of August 2014 “vaping” will not be permitted anywhere cigarette smoking is not allowed.

Chicago — Requires retailers to obtain tobacco licenses in order to sell e-cigarettes, prohibits sales of e-cigarettes within 500 feet of schools, requires e-cigarettes to be sold behind store counters and prohibits use of e-cigarettes wherever smoking is prohibited.

Los Angeles — E-cigarettes cannot be used in public buildings, in parks, at beaches and at other locations where cigarette and tobacco smoking is prohibited. Sales are not allowed to people under 18.

“City health commissioners and mayors are playing and will continue to play critical roles in regulating tobacco products, including e-cigarettes,” said Vince Willmore, vice president for communications at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in Washington, D.C. “Overall, the main things public health advocates can do is to comment on the FDA rule and urge that it be finalized as quickly as possible; push for action in their own states and communities to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products; and continue to focus attention on the problems posed by e-cigarettes.”

The FDA has proposed a 75-day comment period rather than the usual 90-day period, pointed out Robin Koval, president and CEO of Legacy. Last week the organization released a new report on e-cigarettes that looked at the rise of e-cigarette use among youth, as well as the entry of the major tobacco companies into the e-cigarette market.

Koval said she would like to see the FDA commit to a specific time frame for sending its proposed rules to Congress once the comment period is over because “there isn’t’ any time to lose in getting the regulations out...these markets are building growth aggressively.”

>>Bonus Link: Read about a new study in The New York Times, which found that e-cigarettes can become hot enough to release some carcinogens found in conventional cigarettes.

This commentary originally appeared on the RWJF New Public Health blog.